Joshua F. Harper

Joshua Fitzgerald Harper (11 October 1822-16 July 1895) was a Brigadier-General of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally a member of the state legislature of South Carolina, Harper was given a military command during the Civil War, and he served under General Robert E. Lee. After the war, he returned to law and died in 1895.

Biography
Joshua Fitzgerald Harper was born on 11 October 1822 in Salters, South Carolina, United States. Harper graduated from West Point in 1844 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the US Army, serving in the Mexican-American War in a brigade of infantry. During the antebellum years, he fought on the Great Plains against the Sioux nations along with American cavalrymen, and by 1861 he was a Major. He chose to side with the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, as he wanted to fight for states rights. Harper commanded a division of Confederate States Army troops at the Battle of Woodford in 1864, where his army was forced back by the Union army. Harper fought in several other battles during the Overland Campaign, and he was considered to be a good defender. He was present at the surrender at Appomattox Court House, and following the war, he decided to retire and became a banker. Harper died on 16 July 1895 in Charleston.